1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates generally to endoscopes and more specifically it relates to an improved broncho-fiberscope.
2. Description of the Prior Art
If a doctor wishes to look beyond the mouth, the rectum, or the urethra to see such areas as the stomach, the bladder, the esophagus, or the larynx, he must use a tube device that can be inserted into the patient's body. This tube is called the endoscope. Endo is the Greek, word for "inside," which, combined with the Greek skopos, means "watcher of the inside." The endoscope is equipped with tiny electric lights and is passed into whichever body opening leads to the area to be studied. It comes in several types, each intended for certain areas of the body and each having a appropriate length and diameter. Both ends have specific names. The tip that enters the patient is called the distal end. The opposite tip is the proximal--or eyepiece--end.
The various kinds of endoscopes in use today are generally named according to their purpose. The tracheo-bronchoscope from Greek tracheo - windpipe, usually called simply the bronchoscope, examines the windpipe and its branches.
In addition to allowing the doctor to look inside the body, endoscopes can assist in certain kinds of surgery. For example, a surgeon may insert a long biting-type instrument into the bronchoscope to biopsy a growth in the windpipe--that is, to bring away a bit of tissue so that it may be microscopically examined to see if the growth is harmless or dangerous and needs to be removed.
Even more valuable and dramatic has been the development of the fiberscope. Prior to its day, the physician could not see around bends in the body's organs, and so it was impossible to examine some internal areas. The fiberscope marked an end to this shortcoming. It is a flexible tube made of fiber glass. The fiber glass takes the form of millions of tiny, parallel rods, all pointing to the end of the scope in such a way that they act as an unending chain or mirrors able to reflect light and the image of an organ right around corners. The trimuph of fiberoptic technology has provided the physician with the most complete means possible for endoscopic examination.
The oral and nasopharynx are colonized by numerous bacteria. Beyond the vocal cords, the trachea is sterile free of bacterial colonization. The nature of bronchoscopy requires passage of a flexible fiberoptic scope that is about 0.5 cm in diameter through the oral and or nasopharynx. It is through this passage that the distal end of the bronchoscope becomes contaminated by non-pathogenic colonizing bacteria. Consequently, fluid aspirated from the tracheobronchial tree is neither sensitive nor specific for the detection of pulmonary bacterial pathogens in pheumonic processes.